We are in a time where our consumer habits are directly affecting our water supplies, ecosystems and natural resources, problems that can all traced back to our over consumption lifestyles. The items and services we once saw as luxuries are now so common that they are viewed as necessities, as well as our diets relying heavily on fast food. Even so, these changes in our consumption do not produce more happiness but instead, result in a lower quality of life from day to day (Mayell, 2004).
Using a consumption-based approach to study and measure our environmental impact is considered more appropriate than looking through the lens of per capita income. By using this consumption-based approach, we can look at the underlying causes of consumption patterns and how our life styles have direct and indirect impacts on the environmental degradation (Orrechia & Zoppoli, 2007). According to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2016), when we shift our perspective from the producer to the consumer, we see a country's environmental impacts very differently. Looking closer, we see that consumers are the cause of more than 60 percent of our greenhouse gases, along with 80 percent of our water usage.
The Rainforest
The rainforest makes up only six percent of the world’s surface, while forests in general make up thirty percent (Barlas). Six percent may seem small, but rainforests are home to over half of the world’s plant and animal species (Rainforests). Many of the species have yet to be discovered (Rainforests). Rainforests also produce 40% percent of the planet’s oxygen (Rainforests). The incredible plants of the rainforest have been regarded as the best tool in combating climate change (Rainforests). This is because they help stabilize the Earth’s climate (Barlas). The plants absorb greenhouse gases and turn them into oxygen for the world (Barlas). Rainforests do not just house animals, they also provide homes for people (World Wildlife: Deforestation). In fact, 1.6 billion people rely on forests of the world, some of those are rainforests (World Wildlife: Deforestation). The rainforest takes care of humans, animals and plants near and far (World Wildlife: Deforestation).
Humans rely on the rainforest more than they should for its amazing products and space. Humans harvest palm oil, cocoa, soy, bananas, wood and much more (Tropical Forests, 2017). Humans also destroy the forests of the world to make room for farming of livestock and crops (Barlas). Bad things are happening because of this. Too much is being taken away too fast and it is not sustainable Tropical Forests, 2017). Twenty seven soccer fields of forest is lost every minute (World Wildlife: Deforestation). The Amazon Rainforest has shrunk by seventeen percent in the last fifteen years (World Wildlife: Deforestation). If we do not change our ways, the rainforest will be entirely gone in 100 years (Barlas). Species that humans have yet to discover could be lost before they are found. A beautiful place that provides us air and shelter might soon be gone. There are great ways to help stop this destruction. Anyone can help make a difference if they want to save the rainforest. Even kids can have a great impact and they don’t need to be a traditional leader to implement change. One can write a letter to leaders of their community asking them to help(10 Things). For example, people can request that palm oil be labeled more clearly on products (10 Things). This will allow for better consumer choices to be made which is a great way to make a difference. Buying responsible products helps (10 Things). People can even illicit change by educating others (10 Things). It can be something as simple as sharing on social media or as big as writing a book. There are changes and decisions that anyone, at any age, in any position has the ability to make. These changes will help each person directly, too. The rainforest may seem far away, but chances are it’s products are literally right in front of everyone (10 Things). The world can’t afford for humans to use this resource up.
The Ocean
Plastic is an omnipresent substance in today’s society. Plastic pollution is a continually expanding problem in the United States. Single-use plastics, like straws and plastic water bottles, account for 60% of the ocean litter (Tekman, Gutow, & Bergmann, n.d., para. 1). We live in a continuous cycle of buying and throwing away products because we are taught by the media to favor consumption. Nearly all packaged goods come in some form of plastic and much of it is not able to be recycled. The United States does a poor job at recycling compared to other countries. The U.S. recycles about nine percent of it’s plastic products, while China recycles 25 percent of their plastic products and Europe recycles thirty percent of theirs (Parker, 2017). After a plastic bottle is used it can either go to a recycling center, landfill or the environment. Much of the time plastic ends up in the ocean. In the last year, a new plastic garbage patch has been discovered in South Pacific by Captain Charles Moore. Moore estimates that this garbage patch could be larger than a million square miles (Montanari, 2017). According to Oceana, 86 percent of sea turtle species and 44 percent of all seabird species have either been entangled or ingested plastic debris (Plastics and Wildlife, 2015). During beach cleanups, the Environmental Protection Agency says that somewhere between one third and two thirds of waste collected was comprised of single-use disposable plastic packaging (Sources of Aquatic Trash, 2017). More specifically, one of the most common items found during beach cleanups are straws (Source of Aquatic Trash, 2017). In the U.S. alone about 500 million plastic straws are disposed of each day, that is long enough to circle the globe twice (Prisco, 2018). Plastic straws are a plastic item that cannot be recycled. This leaves them to either go sit in landfills or the ocean, where they’ll likely end up inside a sea animal. Campaign groups are working to cut down plastic straw use and encourage local communities to pass on using plastic straws (Prisco, 2018). By learning about the impact plastic use has on the ocean and animals in it, consumers are able to make informed decisions about their plastic use and how they dispose of it.
Advertising Plastic
When plastic was first introduced in the mid 1940s, it was not an overnight success. After World War II, companies began to use plastic to make kitchen and housing equipment like Tupperware and dustpans. At first, many people considered plastic a cheap commodity and questioned the chemicals used to manufacture the plastic (Fisher, 2013, p. 296). However, starting in the 1960s, advertisements for plastic products began to surface in magazines like Ideal Home. They marketed these plastic products as shiny, colorful, and fashionable, which were enticing qualities to consumers. Due to these advertisements, consumers began to change their opinion. Consumers now saw plastic as an everyday item, which lead to an increase in demand. As Fisher (2013) said, “By the mid-1960s plastic could be cool” (p. 290).
When creating advertisements, marketers try to play into whatever is cool. Schor (2004) explains that marketers use advertisements to create an image of excess and abundance that consumers should covet (p. 48). The advertisements are so invasive and dominant in today’s culture that this mindset starts at a young age. For example, Schor (2004) suggests that when a student enters first grade, he or she “can evoke 200 brands” (p. 19). We live in a world of overconsumption, in which many of the items we buy are single-use plastics that we throw away within a matter of minutes or hours.
This single-use plastic does not just disappear when we throw it away; it ends up in our oceans. There are many routes to the ocean. According to the film “A Plastic Ocean” (2016), litter on the streets or in landfills can be carried to nearby seas or rivers when it rains, eventually dumping that litter into the ocean (min. 19). From there, water currents and wind will push the pieces of litter into one of the five ocean gyres, where most of the plastic lives (Le Guem, 2018, para. 86). These plastic items remain in the ocean for a long time. For example, Le Guem (2018) states that a plastic water bottle will take around 450 years to fully decompose (para. 68). This level of plastic in the ocean is threatening the health of the animals who call the ocean home. Many animals die or are injured as a result of ingestion or entanglement from the plastic they encounter in the ocean. For example, the albatross seabird often mistakes tiny plastic particles as food. When they eat plastic, it remains in their stomach and can lead to their death (Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation, 2018, para. 3-4). Moreover, plastic in the ocean can affect the whole food chain. When fish ingest plastics and then humans proceed to eat fish, we also ingest that same plastic that we threw away (Le Guem, 2018, para). It is a never-ending cycle.
Over the past several years, marketers have used advertisements to convince the public that products made from plastic are a fashionable necessity. However, with a growing population and a growing demand, the amount of plastic in our oceans is only increasing. Consequently, the plastic affects the health and well being of humans and marine life. In order to change this trend, consumers must be able to critically look at advertisements and change their buying behavior to support the longevity of the ocean.
Finding a Solution to Pollution
Every hour millions of plastic bottles are thrown away, creating unnecessary waste for the environment. When we recycle these plastic bottles, it helps the environment by reducing waste that ends up in landfills, conserving natural resources that go into making plastics, conserving energy from making materials from existing materials, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing new plastics, and decreasing the overall pollution in our air and water sources (Lake, 2017). There are many ways to take action against our consumerism, including being mindful of the things we buy and the trash we create, making changing in our daily lives. Lauren Singer has taken small, but impactful steps to live a zero-waste lifestyle, only producing one 16-ounce jar of trash over the last four years. (East, 2016). Afroz Shah, a lawyer and environmentalist, organized and led a beach cleanup of Versova beach in Mumbai, India collecting 5.3 million kilograms of trash over 21 months. According to the United Nations, this cleanup is the largest beach cleanup in the world (Arora, 2017)
On a larger scale, businesses and states are taking action as well. The major supermarket chain, Iceland, will stop using plastic packaging for its own products. Instead, the company plans on using existing recyclable and biodegradable materials, along with glass, metal, paper and cellulose (Kottasova, 2018). A food shop in Brooklyn, The Fillery, has cut out all packaging and consumers bring their own containers to fill up with as much or as little food as they need. The state of California has banned the use of single use plastic bags in the grocery store checkout. Although there are still other plastic materials in the grocery store, it is up to the consumer to choose a plastic free and environmentally friendly shopping experience (The Times Editorial Board, 2016). There are several ways to lead a smart consumer lifestyle, that will foster a healthier human-environment relationship. In an article from National Geographic Kids (n.d.), there are many simple ways that kids and adults can help reduce waste and eliminate plastic consumption. Some ways include buying in bulk to reduce packaging material, giving away or donating clothes or toys instead of throwing them away, opting out of junk mail, using reusable containers or sacks for food storage, using reusable bags when shopping, eating more fruits to eliminate packaging, and getting rid of paper towels by using cloth napkins.
Fisher, T. (2013). A World of Color and Bright Shining Surfaces: Experiences of Plastics after the Second World War. Journal of Design History, 26(3), 285-303. DOI: 10.1093/jdh/ept012
Ruxton, J., & Leipzig, A. (Producers) & Leeson, C. (Director). (2016). A Plastic Ocean [Motion picture]. Hong Kong: Brainstorm Media.
Schor, J. B. (2004). From Tony the Tiger to Slime Time Live: The Content of Commercial Messages. In Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture (pp. 39-68). New York: Scribner.
Schor, J. B. (2004). The Changing World of Children’s Consumption. In Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture (pp. 19-37). New York: Scribner.